Mr. Bobby Joseph, Leader LIXIL Water technology, India & Subcontinent (GROHE & American Standard) is driven by the passion for creating a luxurious experience and transforming bathing spaces into a personal retreat and spa.

With a strong vision to spark a Digital revolution in the bathroom industry, GROHE India has introduced pioneering initiatives like the virtual studio that has eliminated the restrictions of the physical world and made innovations and world-class technology easily accessible, regardless of the reach and distance.

With the launch of their latest showering innovation – the GROHE Spa Rainshower Aqua, they wish to garner an ultimate luxury showering solution that will serve as a personal retreat and redefine the showering experience.

In conversation with GlobalSpa, Mr. Joseph talks about their innovative water technology, sustainability and conservation measures, unique bathroom fixtures, and their new strategies and innovations for the Indian hospitality sector.

Q1. How is the Indian market evolving with your ground-breaking innovations in bathroom fixtures, kitchen accessories, and housing products?

For the Indian consumer in the market today, the bathroom has become a luxury zone to unwind. Hence, the bathroom is given the same level of importance as any other room in the house. The focus is now placed on luxury amenities that improve one’s bathing experience. Today, adorning the bathroom is what the Indian consumer happily invests in. As functional as your bathroom can be, it can also serve as a personal retreat at the end of a long day. Bathroom fixtures come in a variety of shapes, finishes, and styles, giving consumers numerous options when it comes to designing their bathrooms.

Q2.) The pandemic has accelerated the integration of digitization into several industries today. How do you think the virtual platform is revolutionizing the hospitality as well as the bathroom industry?

Digital transformation increases a company’s efficiency and profitability. Technology accelerates processes, opens up new channels of communication with customers, makes it easier to adapt to changing market needs, and promotes all-around growth.

Due to the pandemic, there has been a significant shift toward digital. As a leading brand in the industry, it is our vision to spark a digital revolution in bathroom design and specifications. We want to leverage the power of digitization to make our world-class products and solutions easily accessible to all, anytime, anywhere, regardless of distance from the nearest showroom or social distancing norms. We believe in evolving over time and actively adapting to market demands. For example, early in the pandemic, we launched the LIXIL Studio, which is an online virtual experience studio. The user can access and navigate her 3D bathroom environment from the comfort of her home or office. You can view bathroom concepts in full HD through a mobile device while on the go. You can view each zone from different angles, zoom in to see the product up close, or zoom out to see the entire concept or composition. With this studio, we have taken another step towards a more digital future. It’s a future where clients, architects, and designers aren’t constrained by the restrictions of the physical world.

To offer further virtual assistance, we have also incorporated an Inside Sales team of expert consultants who are prepared to offer online/telephone customers comprehensive assistance on specification, selection, and configurations through virtual sales tools. We also offer free 3D bathroom design through an in-house software called CustoMySpace (CMS).

Q3.) Tell us about some of the sustainability measures GROHE has adopted.

In our opinion, water conservation and sustainability will continue to be critical focus areas, especially in the hospitality segment, where customers can tend to be wasteful in their usage of bathroom products. As an industry leader, it is our responsibility to educate and work closely with customers, channel partners, architects, designers, and developers to specify and promote the usage of water-saving products. We continue to be passionate about quality, technology, and design, but at the same time, sustainability is one of the core principles around which our business is built. Our intelligent solutions will enhance water enjoyment and push the boundaries of innovation without compromising environmental norms.

For example, GROHE has developed a range of smart water-saving technologies that use less water but do not reduce the enjoyment of the experience.

GROHE ECOJOY – A flow restrictor reduces water consumption from 10 litres per minute to just over 5 litres. It minimizes consumption and maximizes convenience.

GROHE SILKMOVE – It prevents unnecessary production of hot water by supplying cold water with the faucet lever in the middle position of the fitting.

GROHE TURBOSTAT – It instantly delivers the desired shower temperature and keeps it constant for the duration of the shower.

Q4.) In today’s time, all eyes are placed on wellness, health, hygiene along with comfort. How does your new range plan to deliver these key essentials to the consumers?

Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a paradigm shift in the way we live and experience everyday activities. With rapidly evolving consumer needs, greater focus is being placed on wellness, health, and hygiene. As people spend more time indoors, there is a growing need to bring home the luxuries they would otherwise experience when they travel the world. An exclusive, luxurious shower is one such experience. Therefore, we are providing customers with the key essentials through the new GROHE SPA Rainshower Aqua. The Rainshower Aqua gives users absolute freedom to innovate and individualize. It has multiple shower modules that one can choose from based on their requirements and preferred experience. These different elements can be combined in endless configurations to create a truly bespoke shower.

Q5.) This is the first time GROHE is choosing India to launch a product – the GROHE SPA Rainshower Aqua before launching it anywhere in the world. What are your expectations from the hospitality sector?

For the first time, GROHE has chosen to launch in India before anywhere else in the world. We have chosen India as the first country to launch its GROHE SPA Rainshower Aqua, which we describe as the latest, innovative, and ultimate luxury showering solution for the retail market as well as institutional customers such as premium hotels. We anticipate significant business in the hospitality sector in the form of renovations in the near future. GROHE collaborates closely with all major global hospitality chains. It demonstrates that GROHE values the Indian market. Since people traverse the length and breadth of the nation and want the greatest services and experiences from the hotels they visit, the hospitality industry cannot resist investing in renovations.

Q6.) What is next for GROHE?

GROHE has been known for setting trends, and we want to use such newly integrated digital solutions in common areas to promote sustainability. We have introduced several products, like bathroom faucets and hand showers, that are reinventing customer experiences. We will always strive for excellence and build innovative solutions for the Indian market.